Aesop Fables: {Illustrated}
By Murat Ukray, Aesop and G. K. Chesterton
4/5
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About this ebook
Aesop embodies an epigram not uncommon in human history; his fame is all the more deserved because he never deserved it. The firm foundations of common sense, the shrewd shots at uncommon sense, that characterise all the Fables, belong not him but to humanity. In the earliest human history whatever is authentic is universal: and whatever is universal is anonymous.
In such cases there is always some central man who had first the trouble of collecting them, and afterwards the fame of creating them. He had the fame; and, on the whole, he earned the fame. There must have been something great and human, something of the human future and the human past, in such a man: even if he only used it to rob the past or deceive the future. The story of Arthur may have been really connected with the most fighting Christianity of falling Rome or with the most heathen traditions hidden in the hills of Wales. But the word "Mappe" or "Malory" will always mean King Arthur; even though we find older and better origins than the Mabinogian; or write later and worse versions than the "Idylls of the King."
The nursery fairy tales may have come out of Asia with the Indo-European race, now fortunately extinct; they may have been invented by some fine French lady or gentleman like Perrault: they may possibly even be what they profess to be. But we shall always call the best selection of such tales "Grimm's Tales": simply because it is the best collection.
The historical Aesop, in so far as he was historical, would seem to have been a Phrygian slave, or at least one not to be specially and symbolically adorned with the Phrygian cap of liberty. He lived, if he did live, about the sixth century before Christ, in the time of that Croesus whose story we love and suspect like everything else in Herodotus. There are also stories of deformity of feature and a ready ribaldry of tongue: stories which (as the celebrated Cardinal said) explain, though they do not excuse, his having been hurled over a high precipice at Delphi. It is for those who read the Fables to judge whether he was really thrown over the cliff for being ugly and offensive, or rather for being highly moral and correct.
But there is no kind of doubt that the general legend of him may justly rank him with a race too easily forgotten in our modern comparisons: the race of the great philosophic slaves. Aesop may have been a fiction like Uncle Remus: he was also, like Uncle Remus, a fact. It is a fact that slaves in the old world could be worshipped like Aesop, or loved like Uncle Remus. It is odd to note that both the great slaves told their best stories about beasts and birds.
But whatever be fairly due to Aesop, the human tradition called Fables is not due to him. This had gone on long before any sarcastic freedman from Phrygia had or had not been flung off a precipice; this has remained long after. It is to our advantage, indeed, to realise the distinction; because it makes Aesop more obviously effective than any other fabulist. Grimm's Tales, glorious as they are, were collected by two German students. And if we find it hard to be certain of a German student, at least we know more about him than We know about a Phrygian slave. The truth is, of course, that Aesop's Fables are not Aesop's fables, any more than Grimm's Fairy Tales were ever Grimm's fairy tales. But the fable and the fairy tale are things utterly distinct. There are many elements of difference; but the plainest is plain enough. There can be no good fable with human beings in it. There can be no good fairy tale without them.
Murat Ukray
YAZAR:MURAT UKRAYYetkinlikler:Aynı zamanda bir yazar olan ve yaklaşık genel araştırma konuları ile fizikle ve birleşik alan kramı ile ilgili 2006’dan beri kaleme aldığı yaklaşık 12 eseri bulunan Murat UKRAY, yine bunları kendi kurmuş olduğu çeşitli web siteleri üzerinden, kitaplarını sadece dijital elektronik ortamda, hem düzenli olarak yılda yazmış veya yayınlamış olduğu diğer eserleri de yayın hayatına e-KİTAP ve POD (Print on Demand -talebe göre yayıncılık-) sistemine göre yayın hayatına geçirerek okurlarına sunmayı ilke olarak edinirken; diğer yandan da, projenin SOSYAL yönü olan doğayı korumak amaçlı başlattığı "e-KİTAP PROJESİ" isimli yayıncılık sistemiyle KİTABINI KLASİK SİSTEMLE YAYINLAYAMAYAN "AMATÖR YAZARLAR" için, elektronik ortamda kitap yayıncılığı ile kitaplarını bu sistemle yayınlatmak isteyen PROFESYONEL yayıncılar ve yazarlar için de hemen hemen her çeşit kitabın (MAKALE, AKADEMİK DERS KİTABI, ŞİİR, ROMAN, HİKAYE, DENEME, GÜNLÜK TASLAK) elektronik ortamda yayıncılığının önünü açan e-YAYINCILIĞA 2010 yılı başlarından beri başlamıştır ve halen daha ilgili projeleri yürütmektedir..Aynı zamanda YAZAR KOÇLUĞU ve KUANTUM & BİRLEŞİK ANA KURAMI doğrultusunda, kişisel gelişim uzmanlığı konularında da faaliyet göstermektedir..Çalışma alanları:Köşe yazarlığı yapmak, Profesyonel yazarlık (12 yıldır), Blog yazarlığı, web sitesi kurulumu, PHP Programlama, elektronik ticaret sistemleri, Sanal kütüphane uygulamaları, e-Kitap Uygulamaları ve Yazılımları, Kişisel gelişim, Kuantum mekaniği ve Birleşik Alan teorisi ile ilgili Kuramsal ve Uygulama çalışmaları..
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Reviews for Aesop Fables
21 ratings33 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Very, very simple anecdotes. Any fables that have been turned into lengthier morality tales such as "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" have been beefed up considerably.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Not the best book of fables in the whole wide world, but it does have its charm and its certainly brings back memories. There are lots of tales that I have heard before when I was a kid, several of them actually quite popular. However, this book goes straight to the point. You know the tale of the Turtle and the Hare, which has already been rewritten by several different authors, even having animated movies about it? Well, this book tells the story in half a page. Which isn't so bad, really. It's actually interesting to read those stories in a short format, with the emphasis on the story's lesson. A nice read for grown-ups, a good thing to give the children something to think about.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It would be a benefit to mankind if these morals were taught today. Instead, everything seems to be nonjudgmental. "Who are you to tell me I'm wrong?!!"
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I always loved reading these fables when I was a kid, and they certainly permeated their way through my childhood even up until now. While they may seem a little silly and/or difficult to understand, there is certainly a message to be taken away from all of them if you are willing to think outside of the box.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Some were great, some were dull (or even rather mean), and some were in-between. Overall, not super crazy about it, but glad to have read the collection of them.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was my first read through of Aesop's Fables in its entirety. Obviously I have encountered many of these fables before individually but was somewhat surprised by how dark they are. Aesop as a freedman was brilliant at seeing into the psyche of humankind. The Fables have held up well over the last 2500 years. I found it odd that the translator used the names of the Roman gods as opposed to the original greek gods.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I liked this one better than "Grimm's Fairy Tales" because A) they're all super short, great for reading a teeny bit at a time and B) the language is much more understandable. But like "Grimm's Fairy Tales", the stories get repetitive after a while. They're all moral lessons, and they fall under three categories: evil is its own ruin, be honest and don't lie, don't be vain/greedy/prideful. Consequences of failing to heed lessons A, B, and C will result in you being eaten by a tiger 90% of the time.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I enjoyed this chapter book because of the moral messages learned from each short fable and how I could remember a majority of these stories from my own childhood. The moral lessons learned from these stories stem from always telling the truth, the idea that slow and steady will win the race, and to not judge someone by their appearance. As a child I remembered reading a great majority of these and enjoyed being able to reinterpret what was being said. Although the version I read did not contain illustrations, I did enjoy how the words came to life on the page. As one reads these stories, they can be illustrated in the reader's mind. The big idea of this chapter book is to give a recorded source of the oral stories told so as to teach moral lessons to children and adults.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boy Who Cried Wolf is a great story for young children. It has a very important lesson which is not to lie. The boy "cried wolf" and said there was a wolf when there was not. Then, when there actually was no one believed him. This is important for young children to learn. I really loved this story because of the lesson. I also enjoyed it because it was interesting and made the reader want to keep reading. The story was also great because it was a good length. It was not too long so it was not boring, but it also was not too short. The last thing I liked was that the story was well written. From the writing, I could envision the boy and what was happening in the story. This was a great book!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Another reviewer said it best when stating that he enjoyed Aesop's Fables for the lessons rather than the storytelling. I was surprised to see how many of today's maxims originated from this collection of stories, and even moreso to hear that they had been penned in the 5th century BC. Definitely worth a read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary:This book is a series of short, and a little weird, stories with a little bit of proverb advice at the end of each story.Personal Reaction:I think this is an outstanding set of fables and short stories. I found this to be very entertaining and a little bit of an eye-opener. Reading some of these stories to my children was entertaining to them and entertaining to me to watch their reactions. A lot of the proverb advice I had to explain a little deeper for my oldest to understand them, but all in all a very good and entertaining read.Classroom Extension:1. These stories can be intergraded in many fashion of ways. I think it would be ideal to use as a "brain-break" in between lessons.2. This book can be used as a good way to bring literature into the classroom and can be a good way to introduce fables, proverbs, and short stories.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I read this book over the course of maybe a year reading generally one fable a day. Like a lesson of the day. Some were great, some kind of goofy but I found overall the many lessons imparted as valid as most religious doctrine.Aesop himself is somewhat of a mysterious person of Greece much like Homer with only conjecture of who he was and how he put together this book of wisdom using the animated figures to deliver the message. In any event I found it intriguing to read them all and experience the lessons of such an ancient time that can have such relevance today.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was the first time I ever read any of Aesop's Fables and I loved each little story. These nuggets of morality hidden within tiny stories truly makes one think about their actions towards themselves and toward others. It is an excellent book to read to your little ones in hopes of helping them understand decency towards others.
I would recommend this book to others. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Enjoyed the ones I was familiar with, many of them seemed repetitious. Overall a book everyone should and usually are familiar with. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Enjoyed the ones I was familiar with, many of them seemed repetitious. Overall a book everyone should and usually are familiar with. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yet another I should reread, although so many of the fables are so familiar. Who could forget the fox and the grapes? The lessons in Aesop are still worthwhile today.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Nothing in it is true - though some argue that it has 'truths' (of a sort). I gave it one star...
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Collections of these short tales with a moral were among the very first works--after the Bible--to be published on the printing press. It's amazing how many catch phrases come from these fables: Honesty is the best policy. Don't count your chickens before they've hatched. Look before you leap. Aesop himself, like Homer, may never have existed in history. Tradition makes him a slave in Asia Minor, possibly of Ethiopian descent, born in 620 and eventually freed for his cleverness becomes a counselor to kings and companion to philosophers. Herodotus, Aristophanes, Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch, Horace all mentioned Aesop and his tales, and the earliest surviving collection is from the first century. They're been used by orators and in primers ever since, and definitely should be read in the interest of cultural legacy. They're short. One of the most famous ones is only three lines:Driven by hunger, a fox tried to reach some grapes hanging high on the vine but was unable to, although he leaped with all his strength. As he went away, the fox remarked, 'Oh, you aren't even ripe yet! I don't need any sour grapes.' People who speak disparagingly of things that they cannot attain would do well to apply this story to themselves.To be honest, I tend to think these are best read by children, preferably in an illustrated edition. There's really no authoritative canon for the fables, the two primary collections from antiquity consist of only a few hundred tales. A lot of translations use antiquated language, or put the pithy tales into rather elaborated verse, or cut the moral, so you might want to scan various editions before deciding which to get. They're worth knowing, if only to be able to recognize where so many familiar stories and phrases come from.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book contains 82 of Aesop's fables. Many of these short stories with a moral of the story at the end, I have never heard before. Many, many of these early stories have morals that I never knew the origin of - A stitch in time saves nine, honesty is the best policy. These moral little sayings have withstood the test of time.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A collection of the greatest stories with a moral attribute ever. Attributed by Aristotle as the best. Transformed into verse by Socrates, these stories captured the imagination of the greatest thinkers in human history, and continue to do so today. No child stands to be harmed by learning these tales, in fact, and argument could be made for the opposite effect. The most highly recommended literature for children by indisputable sources.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dad used to read these to us when we were children.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Read this for the "1001" books and they're good little stories with great moral messages, but I found it hard to read them straight thru as a whole book. A few of the stories I even got a bit confused on because I kept mixing them up with others that were similar. I thought a few times "didn't I just read this this one?" But it was a good read and a keeper, and at least I finished it!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Various fables by Aesop are presented in a collection.The book would be useful in discussing morals and fables with kids.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I like Aesop's fables because of the simple stories that relate back to a moral. I don’t like some of the stories' because of the cruelness of some of them. These stories have been retold many times but still possess the same stories with the morals being connected.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Every few years I enjoy rereading Aesop’s Fables. When I come across a different edition with wonderful, new-to-me illustrations, I just can’t help myself. The morals of the Fables are occasionally contradictory, that’s where they’re most interesting in fact. For example, some tales seem to indicate that opposites attract and can help one another; in other instances alike things are attracted to one another and those things that are different are dangerous and can cause them harm; still, one has to fight the urge, because they are so amusing, to agree with all of Aesop’s “lessons” on all points. The best thing you can get from it as a child is that the world can be a contradictory place and that the best thing to do is ask questions about the truth of any given assertion or act. Aesop, if he did exist, seems like he could probably move from being a skeptic to being paranoid pretty easily. It’s good to read the tales with a dose of good humor.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This collection of fables is great for children. There are a lot of good ones but there are definitely some that are lacking. Some of the fables even contradict others ones. But as a classic, every one should read it at least once. There are many lines worth quoting.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tortoise and the Hare, the Grasshopper and the Ant, and dozens more of the delightful creatures that have been entertaining and instructing people for thousands of years. The storyteller Aesop lived in Ancient Greece, far away from us in time and distance. But his clever little stories have as much meaning for us today as they did when he first told them so long ago...
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Who does not like Aesop's Fables? Come on.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quick and short are the ancient greek moralistic tales. This is a beautifully illustrated collection of a few of them. I read "The Wolf and The Crane". The story of a greedy wolf who overeats and starts choking on a bone. He then begs the animals to help him saying he'll do anything for it. A crane does, sticking her long beak down and drawing out the bone. She then asks for her reward and he states that she should be grateful for him not biting her head off when she stuck it down his throat. The moral: he who live on expectations are sure to be disappointed.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The translated or retold stories are straight-forward, but the editor often chose to use English proverbs as his "Applications", some of which were not particularly applicable; it seems redundant to use an idiomatic phrase to explain a fable.
Book preview
Aesop Fables - Murat Ukray
Aesop Fables {Illustrated}
By
Aesop
Translation by Vernon Jones
Illustrated by Murat Ukray & Arthur Rackham
ILLUSTRATED &
PUBLISHED BY
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Istanbul
ISBN: 978-6155529-4-50
AESOP FABLES
BY
A NEW TRANSLATION
BY
V. S. VERNON JONES
1912 EDITION
Table of Contents
Aesop Fables {Illustrated}
Introduction
The Fox And the Grapes
The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs
The Cat And the Mice
The Mischievous Dog
The Charcoal Burner And the Fuller
The Mice In Council
The Bat And the Weasels
The Dog And the Sow
The Fox And the Crow
The Horse And the Groom
The Wolf And the Lamb
The Peacock And the Crane
The Cat And the Birds
The Spendthrift And the Swallow
The Old Woman And the Doctor
The Moon And Her Mother
Mercury And the Woodman
The Ass The Fox And the Lion
The Lion And the Mouse
The Crow And the Pitcher
The Boys And the Frogs
The North Wind And the Sun
The Mistress And Her Servants
The Goods And the Ills
The Hares And the Frogs
The Fox And the Stork
The Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing
The Stag In the Ox Stall
The Milkmaid And Her Pail
The Dolphins the Whales And the Sprat
The Fox And the Monkey
The Ass And the Lap Dog
The Fir Tree And the Bramble
The Frogs’ Complaint Against the Sun
The Dog the Cock And the Fox
The Gnat And the Bull
The Bear And the Travellers
The Slave And the Lion
The Flea And the Man
The Bee And Jupiter
The Oak And the Reeds
The Blind Man And the Cub
The Boy And the Snails
The Apes And the Two Travellers
The Ass And His Burdens
The Shepherd’s Boy And the Wolf
The Fox And the Goat
The Fisherman And the Sprat
The Boasting Traveller
The Crab And His Mother
The Ass And His Shadow
The Farmer And His Sons
The Dog And the Cook
The Monkey As King
The Thieves And the Cock
The Farmer And Fortune
Jupiter And the Monkey
Father And Sons
The Lamp
The Owl And the Birds
The Ass In the Lion’s Skin
The She Goats And Their Beards
The Old Lion
The Boy Bathing
The Quack Frog
The Swollen Fox
The Mouse the Frog And the Hawk
The Boy And the Nettles
The Peasant And the Apple Tree
The Jackdaw And the Pigeons
Jupiter And the Tortoise
The Dog In the Manger
The Two Bags
The Oxen And the Axletrees
The Boy And the Filberts
The Frogs Asking For a King
The Olive Tree And the Fig Tree
The Lion And the Boar
The Walnut Tree
The Man And the Lion
The Tortoise And the Eagle
The Kid On the Housetop
The Fox Without a Tail
The Vain Jackdaw
The Traveller And His Dog
The Shipwrecked Man And the Sea
The Wild Boar And the Fox
Mercury And the Sculptor
The Fawn And His Mother
The Fox And the Lion
The Eagle And His Captor
The Blacksmith And His Dog
The Stag At the Pool
The Dog And the Shadow
Mercury And the Tradesmen
The Mice And the Weasels
The Peacock And Juno
The Bear And the Fox
The Ass And the Old Peasant
The Ox And the Frog
The Man And the Image
Hercules And the Waggoner
The Pomegranate the Apple Tree And the Bramble
The Lion the Bear And the Fox
The Blackamoor
The Two Soldiers And the Robber
The Lion And the Wild Ass
The Man And the Satyr
The Image Seller
The Eagle And the Arrow
The Rich Man And the Tanner
The Wolf the Mother And Her Child
The Old Woman And the Wine Jar
The Lioness And the Vixen
The Viper And the File
The Cat And the Cock
The Hare And the Tortoise
The Soldier And His Horse
The Oxen And the Butchers
The Wolf And the Lion
The Sheep the Wolf And the Stag
The Lion And the Three Bulls
The Horse And His Rider
The Goat And the Vine
The Two Pots
The Old Hound
The Clown And the Countryman
The Lark And the Farmer
The Lion And the Ass
The Prophet
The Hound And the Hare
The Lion the Mouse And the Fox
The Trumpeter Taken Prisoner
The Wolf And the Crane
The Eagle the Cat And the Wild Sow
The Wolf And the Sheep
The Tunny Fish And the Dolphin
The Three Tradesmen
The Mouse And the Bull
The Hare And the Hound
The Town Mouse And the Country Mouse
The Lion And the Bull
The Wolf the Fox And the Ape
The Eagle And the Cocks
The Escaped Jackdaw
The Farmer And the Fox
Venus And the Cat
The Crow And the Swan
The Stag With One Eye
The Fly And the Draught Mule
The Cock And the Jewell
The Wolf And the Shepherd
The Farmer And the Stork
The Changer And the Miller
The Grasshopper And the Owl
The Grasshopper And the Ants
The Farmer And the Viper
The Two Frogs
The Cobbler Turned Doctor
The Ass the Cock And the Lion
The Belly And the Members
The Bald Man And the Fly
The Ass And the Wolf
The Monkey And the Camel
The Sick Man And the Doctor
The Travellers And the Plane Tree
The Flea And the Ox
The Birds the Beasts And the Bat
The Man And His Two Sweethearts
The Eagle the Jackdaw And the Shepherd
The Wolf And the Boy
The Miller His Son And Their Ass
The Stag And the Vine
The Lamb Chased By a Wolf
The Archer And the Lion
The Wolf And the Goat
The Sick Stag
The Ass And the Mule
Brother And Sister
The Heifer And the Ox
The Kingdom of the Lion
The Ass And His Driver
The Lion And the Hare
The Wolves And the Dogs
The Bull And the Calf
The Trees And the Axe
The Astronomer
The Labourer And the Snake
The Cage Bird And the Bat
The Ass And His Purchaser
The Kid And the Wolf
The Debtor And His Sow
The Bald Huntsman
The Herdsman And the Lost Bull
The Mule
The Hound And the Fox
The Father And His Daughters
The Thief And the Innkeeper
The Pack Ass And the Wild Ass
The Ass And His Masters
The Pack Ass the Wild Ass And the Lion
The Ant
The Frogs And the Well
The Crab And the Fox
The Fox And the Grasshopper
The Farmer His Boy And the Rooks
The Ass And the Dog
The Ass Carrying the Image
The Athenian And the Theban
The Goatherd And the Goat
The Sheep And the Dog
The Shepherd And the Wolf
The Lion Jupiter And the Elephant
The Pig And the Sheep
The Gardener And His Dog
The Rivers And the Sea
The Lion In Love
The Bee Keeper
The Wolf And the Horse
The Bat the Bramble And the Seagull
The Dog And the Wolf
The Wasp And the Snake
The Eagle And the Beetle
The Fowler And the Lark
The Fisherman Piping
The Weasel And the Man
The Ploughman the Ass And the Ox
Demades And His Fable
The Monkey And the Dolphin
The Crow And the Snake
The Dogs And the Fox
The Nightingale And the Hawk
The Rose And the Amaranth
The Man the Horse the Ox And the Dog
The Wolves the Sheep And the Ram
The Swan
The Snake And Jupiter
The Wolf And His Shadow
Mercury And the Man Bitten By an Ant
The Wily Lion
The Parrot And the Cat
The Stag And the Lion
The Impostor
The Dogs And the Hides
The Lion the Fox And the Ass
The Fowler the Partridge And the Cock
The Gnat And the Lion
The Farmer And His Dogs
The Eagle And the Fox
The Butcher And His Customers
Hercules And Minerva
The Fox Who Served a Lion
The Quack Doctor
The Lion the Wolf And the Fox
Hercules And Plutus
The Fox And the Leopard
The Fox And the Hedgehog
The Crow And the Raven
The Witch
The Old Man And Death
The Miser
The Foxes And the River
The Horse And the Stag
The Fox And the Bramble
The Fox And the Snake
The Lion the Fox And the Stag
The Man Who Lost His Spade
The Partridge And the Fowler
The Runaway Slave
The Hunter And the Woodman
The Serpent And the Eagle
The Rouge And the Oracle
The Horse And the Ass
The Dog Chasing a Wolf
Grief And His Due
The Hawk the Kite And the Pigeons
The Woman And the Farmer
Prometheus And the Making of Man
The Swallow And the Crow
The Hunter And the Horseman
The Goatherd And the Wild Goats
The Nightingale And the Swallow
The Traveller And Fortune
{ILLUSTRATED}
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
Murat UKRAY & Arthur RACKHAM {e-Kitap Projesi}
Introduction
Aesop embodies an epigram not uncommon in human history; his fame is all the more deserved because he never deserved it. The firm foundations of common sense, the shrewd shots at uncommon sense, that characterise all the Fables, belong not him but to humanity. In the earliest human history whatever is authentic is universal: and whatever is universal is anonymous. In such cases there is always some central man who had first the trouble of collecting them, and afterwards the fame of creating them. He had the fame; and, on the whole, he earned the fame. There must have been something great and human, something of the human future and the human past, in such a man: even if he only used it to rob the past or deceive the future. The story of Arthur may have been really connected with the most fighting Christianity of falling Rome or with the most heathen traditions hidden in the hills of Wales. But the word Mappe
or Malory
will always mean King Arthur; even though we find older and better origins than the Mabinogian; or write later and worse versions than the Idylls of the King.
The nursery fairy tales may have come out of Asia with the Indo-European race, now fortunately extinct; they may have been invented by some fine French lady or gentleman like Perrault: they may possibly even be what they profess to be. But we shall always call the best selection of such tales Grimm's Tales
: simply because it is the best collection.
The historical Aesop, in so far as he was historical, would seem to have been a Phrygian slave, or at least one not to be specially and symbolically adorned with the Phrygian cap of liberty. He lived, if he did live, about the sixth century before Christ, in the time of that Croesus whose story we love and suspect like everything else in Herodotus. There are also stories of deformity of feature and a ready ribaldry of tongue: stories which (as the celebrated Cardinal said) explain, though they do not excuse, his having been hurled over a high precipice at Delphi. It is for those who read the Fables to judge whether he was really thrown over the cliff for being ugly and offensive, or rather for being highly moral and correct. But there is no kind of doubt that the general legend of him may justly rank him with a race too easily forgotten in our modern comparisons: the race of the great philosophic slaves. Aesop may have been a fiction like Uncle Remus: he was also, like Uncle Remus, a fact. It is a fact that slaves in the old world could be worshipped like Aesop, or loved like Uncle Remus. It is odd to note that both the great slaves told their best stories about beasts and birds.
But whatever be fairly due to Aesop, the human tradition called Fables is not due to him. This had gone on long before any sarcastic freedman from Phrygia had or had not been flung off a precipice; this has remained long after. It is to our advantage, indeed, to realise the distinction; because it makes Aesop more obviously effective than any other fabulist. Grimm's Tales, glorious as they are, were collected by two German students. And if we find it hard to be certain of a German student, at least we know more about him than We know about a Phrygian slave. The truth is, of course,